Stranded
by MonkeySaru
Summary: He looked over his shoulder, confused at what he saw for a few moments. Suddenly, he leapt to his feet, eyes wide with the terror that shot through his nervous system only seconds later as he realized what had happened." Set during the Golden Age.
1. Prologue

"Edmund…"

A strange rushing in his ears…in, out...close, far away…like a light filtering in and out of focus…

"Ed…"

Someone was calling his name. He could feel the scorching sun beating down on his face, behind his eyelids was a glowing red light. He wanted to move his hand to shield his closed eyes from the painful rays, but he couldn't quite find the strength. He couldn't remember…

"Edmund!"

The familiar voice was taking on a desperate, slightly hysterical tone. He felt himself being shaken awake. He cracked open one eye.

He immediately groaned; a small, sharp little sound that barely made it out of his throat before he started choking and coughing violently. The sun was so bright…he quickly rolled onto his side and vomited up a substantial amount of water, gasping and shivering.

"Ed," Susan sighed in anxious relief, sopping wet hair plastered to her forehead and skin whiter than he had ever seen it. Edmund raised his head, blinking several times to get her image into focus against the blue sky.

"S-Susan…" he croaked, throat searing with pain as he spoke. "Where…what…"

He stared at her. She was soaked to the bone – come to think of it, so was he – and there was sand everywhere…

The rushing sound continued. He looked over his shoulder, confused at what he saw for a few moments. Suddenly, he leapt to his feet, eyes wide with the terror that shot through his nervous system only seconds later as he realized what had happened.

The rushing sound was the salty tide that rolled in and out at his feet. Behind that were miles and miles of endless, borderless sea.

"_No_…"

They were standing on the shore of a tiny remote island somewhere, completely alone.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N**: well hello thurrr.

yeah, I've got no excuse. it's been like, an unholy amount of time since I've updated this, and I have only one thing to say to you.

writers' block.

there you go. that's my excuse. enjoy this product of my blocked!brain as best you can and yell at me to write more than a pitiful 628 words for the next chapter, afterward.

-bows out-

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing. literally. I'm a hobo on the street. spare me a sharpie for my cardboard sign?

* * *

"No…"

There was nothing but water. Water and sand. Sand and water. The tide rolled in over the shore, in and out, in and out. Repeating. Recurring. Reiterated.

It was maddening.

"_Edmund_…"

He could hear her voice, but the sight of her failed him. His vision spun round and round, her voice growing fainter in his ears as the sound of rushing water filled its place, swelling louder and louder.

_Gone, gone…everything __**gone**__…_He sank to his knees. The sand pressed and burned warm against his legs from years of soaking up the sun. The tide came in and foamed around him, quickly soaking through his clothing, retreating. Again and again and again. Confirming reality with every tossing whitecap that crossed his vision.

"Susan…"

He gasped sharply. A frantic, whispered cry for help, barely heard over the waves.

"Su…Su…**Susa**–"

He threw himself to the side and vomited again.

Gasping and choking, he lay where he was for a moment, spitting the foul taste of salt water from his mouth. The vile tang of the water ghosted over his tongue unpleasantly, and it was all he could do _not _to retch again. He tried to say something. Tried to look around him and figure out where they were, and why. Tried to tell his sister that he had a fool-proof plan to somehow get her back to her own bed in her own room in her own home before nightfall.

He just tried to say _something_, and found that not a single sound could escape him. He looked to her, and saw the tears brimming in her eyes.

Suddenly, all he could feel after that were her gentle arms gather him up against her side, holding him close. He just couldn't remember…he couldn't remember what had happened. His heartbeat was sporadic and loud, banging in his ears two beats at a time as though they were drums. The rush of water over sand accompanied the drums closely. Breathing so fast, heart rate rising and falling…

Her dark hair fell all around her face, stringy and salted by the waves, dried on her head by the sun. It was so long, brushing his face each time she moved, or every time the saline ocean breeze carried through and stirred up the sand. He closed his eyes, listening to her heart beat a slow, rhythmical tune against his ear, filling the lonely void where the sun endlessly shone and the tide endlessly came.

"I was so scared, Edmund," she said quietly, holding her hand against his forehead, checking for temperature. "You went under and I didn't have time to look before I went down too. And I woke up here, and you were so quiet…"

Images of the night before – or had it been longer ago? – flashed in his mind's eye, his memory returning. It was all he could do not to choke on the water building in his throat, his insides flipping over ceaselessly, understanding coming in waves.

_Lightning, screaming, tossing, thrashing, grappling _–_ fighting falling plunging sinking dying…_

"They'll come for us," she said quietly – her voice broke through his silent remembrance of the night before. He bit his lip hard, his eyes tightly shut, the waves endlessly breaking. "They will come, Ed."

Her sound assurance was all he needed. Despite how much he protested against it, despite the fact he knew he needed to stay awake and functional, despite the fact that his sister needed him to protect her from the dangers of the unknown – he was so physically worn out, it was so hot, he was so feverish…

All that was heard for a long while was the cry of the gulls on the ocean breeze.

* * *

the great facebook once said: "what's on your mind?"


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: it's me again.

well, it's four in the morning, and I worked tirelessly for three hours to get this out. I really wanted to get this done so I could start getting some excitement in, but I'm still actually not sure where this story is going, so I beg your pardon if it's a little confusing at times. I've got the gist of where this is going though, so please, bear with me. xD But for now, WE STICK TO THE BACKSTORY.

that is all.

disclaimer: blehh. I'm not profiting from this. believe me. what kind of crazy person stays awake until four in the morning writing this kind of thing. someone who doesn't make money off it it, that's who.

* * *

That sound.

The foul, cruel sound that kept nagging at the back of her mind, weeding through her ears, straining at her eyelids. It drove her mad, reverberating endlessly on, back and forth in the corners of her head, an eternal game of ping-pong, no score. She shifted in place, moaning quietly as the various bruises and muscles twinged uncomfortably. She began to come awake.

As a result, the darkness that she desperately clung to slipped from her fingertips, fleeing from the faint light she witnessed as she cracked open her lids to see. She blinked a few times, squinting in the dim light of the dusky nighttime sky.

Susan was sprawled sideways on the ground, the rapidly cooling sand pressing against her face and her legs and her body, warming her as best it could as steadily continued losing heat. She pushed herself up onto her elbows, brushing the sand from her face and blinking once or twice more at the shadows that fell over the beach, becoming more aware of where she was by the second. She swept the stringy, damp hair from her eyes and sat up fully onto her knees, squinting into the dark.

She could see the ocean, a dark, unstable mass stretching miles and miles on and melding nearly flawlessly with the sky on the horizon. Rubbing her face tiredly, eyes adjusting to the dim twilight night, she watched the waves quietly breaking on the sand. They were calm and steady now, as everything was still. The very air felt stagnate, idle, humidity giving way to a cooler temperature - it would've been a little chilly if the heat wasn't radiating from the sand beneath her.

Susan sighed quietly, feeling almost as though she could enjoy the entire scene if she hadn't already hated it.

Looking around her, she noticed the absence of her brother. Looking a little bit further ahead to her left, she spotted orange light suspended in the air, illuminating a small space around it, and she wondered how she couldn't have noticed it before. Standing to her feet and wrapping her arms around herself, she quietly headed towards the torch lit silhouette not far away from where she had been sleeping.

Sidling up next to her brother, she didn't say much at all. Just looking out at the ocean for awhile, for that's what he was doing. The flaming stick he held in his fist illuminated the water around and made it look eerily black, oily. The navy blue sky continued to fall into the water, making way for stars and planets and moons. They stood like that for quite some time, just watching the water come in and retreat, not so loud as before.

"Hi," Susan finally spoke – her voice sounded empty and small before it was swallowed by the darkness of the island. It was so quiet and weak to her own ears.

"Hello," Edmund softly replied, sounding equally quiet. He was still watching the waves. Susan looked at him silently – he was so pale…

"When did I fall asleep?" she asked, voice barely higher than a whisper. Or that's what it sounded like.

"Not too long ago," Edmund replied dully, left hand in his pocket, stirring the sand around with his toes. "Maybe an hour or two."

They were quiet again for some time. Susan took this advantage to study her brother more closely…he had deep shadows beneath his eyes, scratches and bruises – he was hunched over slightly at the shoulders, his hair was a mess; he looked thin and exhausted. She knew he always looked that way, but right now, it seemed as though if he were to move the slightest bit, the darkness would swallow him whole. She knew she probably looked about the same.

"What have you been doing?" she asked again, digging her heels into the dampened, balmy sand.

"Built a fire, was looking for clams," he said wearily, taking his hand from his pocket and rubbing his face jadedly and letting his breath out in a low sigh. "I couldn't find anything to cook them in though and it got too dark to find any."

"We can look for some tomorrow…and build a proper shelter, and look around a little, maybe…" Susan suggested, looking at him with increasing concern. He looked as though he was going to just drop with fatigue. She herself felt the same way and she had just woken up.

Slowly, Edmund nodded, still watching the water. Susan looked behind them and noticed the fire Edmund had built a little ways away – it was half-heartedly burning, flickering, in danger of dying and leaving them in darkness. She looked back out at the water before resting her hand on her brother's small shoulder, silently beckoning him to follow her back to where the fire was.

Weakly, he followed, and they sat down, leaning on one another, and didn't speak a word for the rest of the night.

* * *

_Lightning broke._

_The horrendous storm billowing overhead, tossing up the waves and tipping the vessel back and forth, nearly overturning it as it precariously balanced itself atop the raging waters below. Thunder shattered the air, booming loud over the many panicked shouts of the crew as they fought to stabilize the sails, uselessly turning the wheel - anything to stay afloat. Everyone was soaking wet, water splashing up over the sides of the deck and rain pelting down on everything, almost complete darkness. Lightning shook the heavens once again and illuminated everything for half a second – the scene below was a nightmare._

_Pale skin, pale faces, pale fingers clawing at the soaked ropes of the sails, holding it steady, everyone yelling at the tops of their lungs, calling out orders. All hands on deck, every creature doing their part to stay afloat, to stay alive. The screaming wouldn't stop…the rain continued to pour down, the waves continued to batter the sides and sting the faces of the sailors._

"_HOLD ON!" a boy screamed, his dark hair plastered to his head and his clothes dripping continuously. He shuddered wildly, holding three ropes at once like a lifeline. As he had predicted, only seconds later a particularly large wave rushed up over the sides of the deck and broke – a few of the unlucky sailors slipped and were dragged halfway across the floor of the ship before they were released by the waves; gasping and shivering, they clawed their way back to the ropes and clung to them desperately. _

"_EDMUND!" a yell broke through the already yelling crowd – the boy frantically looked around for his sister's darkened form, squinting as the rain pelted his face. _

"_SUSAN?"_

_One enormous wave after another, each of them tossing the ship around and around, cold as ice. He was shivering, chilled down to his bones as the harsh wind blew on him strongly._

"_EDMUND, I –"_

"_MAJESTIES, GET BELOW THE DECK!"_

_Another bolt of lightning illuminated the sky – the terrifying scene wasn't letting up, wasn't ceasing. There was no time to argue, however much Edmund wanted to – someone had already grabbed hold of his arm and any time wasted could be crucial seconds lost to the wellbeing of the crew. Edmund let himself be dragged along, slipping and sliding over the deck, unable to breathe very well. He had the vaguest idea that Susan was being dragged along as well, somewhere close by. He couldn't see…_

_And suddenly, he felt something very thick was put over his mouth, preventing him from making any sound – he heard his heart rate quicken very considerably, he could feel himself thrashing around a little; he was thrown roughly up against the side of the ship._

_And suddenly, he felt himself falling backwards. He saw Susan plummeting down above him – he could see how the sides of the ship were becoming even more blurred as he picked up considerable speed – he was already so close to the raging sea below. He screamed, he knew he did._

_He was the only one who could hear himself yell when the lightning splintered around him and the ocean came up to meet him and the current pulled him under._

_And then he was very quiet and still._


	4. Chapter 3

AN:  
Wow.  
It's been forever.  
Super sorry about the wait, and I'm also super sorry that this chapter sucks. lol. I guess this was kind of a filler chapter, so its not that great, but as the word suggests, it fills in some things.

As far as ages go, I'm thinking Peter is **seventeen**, Susan is **sixteen**, Ed's **fourteen** and Lucy's about **thirteen**. Sorry if that took too long to figure out, I never really set an age to begin with.

Alright, well I'll stop yappin'. I hope that I can get more of this story written during the summer, but you never know with me. I say things that don't happen, sometimes. lol. Well, at least I hope you enjoy this chapter. Hopefully the chapter lengths will get longer as more interesting things begin to happen. ;)  
Enjoy! I love to hear your thoughts, don't hesitate to share them!  
-MonkeySaru.  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

The feeling of warm sunlight upon his skin was what woke him.

Breathing deeply and blearily cracking open one eye, Edmund examined the morning world around him. Golden sunlight poured out of the sky onto the face of the water, which gently moved and scattered rays over its surface like glittering diamonds. The tide eased itself in and out onto the shore, quieter now than it was the day before. Propping himself up onto his elbows, Edmund sniffed the air heavily, tasting the salt on the dewy breeze, feeling in his bones that it was going to be a very humid day. Grumbling a bit beneath his breath, he shifted around until he had a good look at his sister, who was sleeping not too far away from himself. He blinked a couple of times to get her into focus, making sure she was sleeping soundly, undisturbed by the elements. Sitting up fully, he shook the sand from his hair and stood to his feet, feeling a dull ache in his bones from sleeping on the ground.

He'd have to get used to it, he supposed.

Walking a ways from where they were camped, he examined his surroundings a little more strategically. He noted carefully the length of the coast as it stretched off around a gentle curve, which suggested the island was circular. There was a break in the beach further up, where the sand became closely-compacted trees and vegetation as it extended further inland. He figured that later in the day he would search for a freshwater stream somewhere in the mess of green, and possibly do some hunting.

Sighing, Edmund turned and stood facing the tide, watching it enter and retreat in a consistent rhythm, subconsciously stirring the sand around beneath his toes. Lost in thought, he gazed off into the distance, the sound of the tide drowned out by the musical laughter of his siblings, the happy chorusing bells of the Cair's steeple, and the sweet murmurings of faithful subjects. He wanted nothing more than to be with them right now, holding Lucy's hand, helping Peter with that law they had been trying to write for the past three months.

He looked back, sorrowful eyes searching for his sister. He spotted her, still lying in the sand, hair a mess, chest rising and lowering slowly in a calming manner as she slept deeply. She was exhausted. A small smile managed its way onto his lips, and he felt it deep in his muscles, tense with the feeling of disuse. He would make sure she got home safe. If it took everything he had to give, he would make sure it was given with all the eagerness he had in him.

He could only hope that by then there remained enough of him to make it back as well.

* * *

_Stay awake…stay awake…  
_  
Peter yawned, but tried to hide it behind his sleeve. This presentation was the single most boring thing he had ever had the intense displeasure of living through. The poor diplomat's voice was so monotonous, Peter fancied that he could fall asleep where he was if it wasn't for the fact that he was the only able-bodied ruler at this point in time, as Lucy was ill. So for the sake of duty, Peter found himself forced to listen to the sound of the duke's voice grate distastefully through his ear canals.

Calormene was trying to achieve a tax on Narnian goods being traded between both lands, or at least that was the gist of what he had gathered from this presentation. He supposed that it probably wasn't a very good thing, but law never really was his forte. He desperately wished Edmund was here beside him, asking questions and being interested in what the man had to say. He looked idly off to the side, where golden rays of sun beamed in from the stained glass windows, scattering light onto the marble flooring. Peter lost focus completely, thinking about his siblings and how they were faring on their embassy to the Lone Isles. He wondered if they were safe.

Suddenly, the main doors to the throne room burst open, jolting Peter from his reverie abruptly and causing him to look about for the source of the interruption. The diplomat mercifully stopped speaking, also turning to see who had come in. A timid Faun stood in the doorway, looking quite beside himself with anxiety, bowing low and then scurrying into the room. All eyes were on him as he raced to the middle of the room, bowed low once more, and requested permission to come near the throne. Peter nodded, curious. The Faun came close to the throne, wide-eyed, and dabbed his slick brow with a handkerchief once or twice before bending close to the king's face and murmuring quietly. The room was deathly quiet, but no one could hear what the Faun was speaking; the High King's expression immediately sobered. Once the Faun had delivered his message, he scurried back down the steps and out of the room as quickly as he came, and the King stood up, suddenly wide-awake and alert.

"If you'll kindly excuse me, Sir Ramman, there is an urgent matter I must attend to at once. May we reschedule this for another time?"

And without waiting for an answer, Peter raced from the room, the large oak doors slamming behind him and leaving a dismal echo in his wake.

* * *

_"The water is beautiful tonight," said Queen Susan aloud to no one in particular, eyes gazing out toward the sunset, which was quickly becoming shrouded with dark clouds. The water was a deep, cool indigo color as the darkness overhead pulled the light from its surface, yet the sun leaked fiery orange and white onto it from afar. "Yes, it is," said her brother quietly, walking close to her and leaning against the rail of the ship, examining the sunset skeptically. "Looks like a storm is brewing, though," he muttered, brow furrowing. At that moment, the ship lurched to the side, throwing some off their feet and causing several to cry out in surprise. The royals held tightly to the railing, everyone looked around for the source of disturbance. It happened once more, and a wave broke up over the side of the ship, spraying a few unlucky creatures and wetting down the deck._

_"A storm's coming, captain!"_

_"Your majesties, take shelter!"_

_Ignoring these comments, the king searched the deck for the captain, a Satyr named Tireus._

_"Captain, how can I be of assistance?" Edmund asked quietly, striding over to where he stood, examining the sails. He gave the king a long, hard look, looking him up and down several times, his hesitation clear on his face. He sighed a little. "If I order his majesty below deck, he'll just end up sneaking back up, won't he?" He asked in a deep, gravelly sort of voice, a bit of amusement coloring his tone._

_Edmund had the decency to duck his head a bit, a rosy pinch rising to his pale cheeks. The captain smiled wryly. "Tie down those sails over there, have a few others help you; but for Lion's sake, if it gets too rough, get yourself and the queen below deck."_

_Edmund nodded ardently, and set to work at once, a few sailors coming quickly to his aid. From the corner of his eye, he could see a couple of creatures standing off near the railing, eying him and his sister with an odd expression on their faces. It gave him a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he brushed it off as the adrenaline from the approaching storm. Tying down the last sail, he stood up straight, seeing the flash of lighting and hearing a rumble of thunder._

_It began to rain._


End file.
